MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — The Millersville Marauders were met with a suffocating Virginia Union defense when the two teams clashed Saturday afternoon. The Panthers stymied the Marauders throughout and held the hosts to 28% from the field while causing 22 turnovers in the 48-61 loss.
 
Those offensive struggles began right from the start, as Millersville had nine of those giveaways in the first quarter alone. Despite that, the 'Ville held a slim lead after the first six minutes of play; their defense gave the Panthers fits just the same during that span. They held them to two of ten from the field over those first six minutes. It was all Virginia Union after that, however.  The Panthers held a nine-point lead at halftime with the score 29-20, holding Millersville at a less than point-per-minute pace over the final 14 minutes of the half. The visitor's combination of length, defensive communication and aggressiveness on-ball was too much for the Marauders to handle.
 
"They did a great job of stymieing us, whether they were in man or zone, and we just really got complacent offensively," Marauders head coach Kira Mowen said postgame.  "I also had people not taking the shots that I would normally expect them to take because they got sped up in wanting take what the defense gave them. So, kudos to Virginia Union. We need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. In last night's game, we had six turnovers going into half and ended with 19, so we've got to figure out how to fix the turnovers and take better care of the ball."
 
The offense improved a bit after halftime, as the Marauders emphasized running in transition more than prior to the stoppage. Despite the offensive improvement, it was tough sledding; Millersville was unable to cut the deficit to more than six for the entirety of the final 20 minutes. That six-point difference came with a little over two minutes remaining. Brenna Ortwein was fouled inside and hit both free-throws to make the score 54-48, and momentum began to shift in the Marauders' favor. However, after missing 14 of their first 15 three-pointers, the Panthers hit number two and it was a dagger, turning the lead into a nearly insurmountable margin.  
 
"In all honesty, I think it's an eye-opening moment for us," Mowen said of the loss.  "Virginia Union played a great game, but I think we needed that. They had a great game plan, but we did need to get punched because we've got to figure out how we're going to recover from it, how we're going to come back from it, and the things we need to learn as we move closer and closer towards the PSAC season."

GAME NOTES

• The Marauders have their first loss of the season handed to them by the Panthers for the second straight year; Millersville began the 2023-24 season with a 61-73 defeat at Virginia Union. They remain winless against the Panthers in four tries. 

STATISTICAL INSIGHTS

• Three players reached double figures in points for the hosts: Makiah Shaw led the Marauders with 12 while Ortwein and Morgan Mahoney had 10. Mahoney recorded a double-double, adding a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Ortwein tallied three steals to go with those 10 points and Sophia Elstone continued to be a force on the glass, grabbing nine more boards after pulling down 10 against Point Park.

UP NEXT:

• The Marauders host Chestnut Hill in Pucillo Gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.